ARTIFACT OF THE MONTH
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History
The ape is positioned in a pose inspired by The Thinker, a bronze statue created by French artist Auguste Rodin in the late 1800s. The Thinker shows a large, male figure sitting on a rock with his chin resting on his hand in a “thinking” position. This statue is commonly associated with philosophy, intellect, and poetry. The Thinker is very large in size and has been recreated in a multitude of ways, including the statue of the ape. Throughout the world, dozens of bronze castings of Rodin’s original work hold a place in museums and public places as a symbol of education and intelligence. |
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MOTAL’s Austin Productions statue is a smaller, significantly altered version of The Thinker that depicts an ape holding a human skull and sitting on a book labeled “Darwin”. The ape appears to be contemplating Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, and his own involvement in that evolution by analyzing the human skull.
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Very little information can be found on the origin of Austin Productions and their statues. The company began in Brooklyn, New York in the 1950s by manufacturing imitations of classical Egyptian, Greek, and Roman sculptures for mass consumption. Austin sculptures allowed for world-renowned, classical works of art to influence the average home as scaled-down furnishings and decorations available for purchase. Despite the level of mass production, Austin Productions statues developed a reputation for their high-quality reproductions, especially those made of bronze like the Darwin Monkey Statue. The company retired its entire line and ceased production in 2009, leading to a rise in value of the collectible statues. MOTAL’s Darwin Monkey Statue is thought provoking, interesting, and keeps us thinking about the past, present, AND future of education.
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